Winners of WISE 2023 Awards receive prizes at ceremony in Doha

DOHA, Qatar

Winners of the 2023 World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) Awards, of which Anadolu Agency is the Global Communication Partner, received their prizes at a ceremony held in Qatar’s capital Doha on Tuesday.

Qatar’s Minister of Education and Higher Education Buhaina bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi presented awards to Ana Chirita, Armando Ali, Layisha Perhati, Marianne Stone, Luis Camargo and Siddhant Sachdeva, who are the owners of projects that address global education problems, on the first day of the two-day WISE 11 Summit held at the Qatar National Convention Center.

Delivering the opening speech of the ceremony, Jeffrey Sachs, president of the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network and director of the Columbia University Sustainable Development Center, emphasized the importance of education.

Sachs said that unless education is attached proper importance, there is no chance of ending poverty and hunger, protecting the planet and achieving sustainable development goals.

Pointing out that hundreds of millions of children in the world cannot even receive a basic education or go to school, he said that their job is "more difficult than ever."

Sachs further said that they need to help children understand that they live in a closely interconnected, diverse world.

Noting that he comes from an extremely rich country but that this country does not offer solutions to the difficulties, he appreciated Qatar's leadership on this issue.

After the speech, the award winners and the six award-winning project owners spoke about their projects.

WISE Summit and awards

WISE 11, an initiative of the Qatar Foundation and held this year with the theme "Creative Fluency: Human Development in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” focuses on developing human creativity and values in the age of artificial intelligence (AI).

The summit covers a wide range of topics, including the impact of culture and language on education systems, practical solutions for navigating an AI-driven world, neuro-education, developing skills for the future, and best practices for implementing and scaling innovative education models.

More than 300 speakers from around the world in the fields of education, business and academics attended the summit while local, regional and international experts shared their views.

At the summit, more than 200 sessions will be held in three thematic areas on various topics to find solutions to educational problems.

Each year, the WISE Awards recognize and support six innovative projects that address global education challenges and bring positive change to societies and communities.